History of Carroll Lutheran Village

Today, Carroll Lutheran Village sits on about 100 acres with 298 apartment homes, 100 single family homes, 50 assisted living suites and 103 skilled nursing beds. The Village is owned by participating Lutheran congregations of the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is managed by a Board of Trustees elected by voting representatives of the corporation churches. Board members include pastors of member congregations, residents of the Village and members of the greater community.

In a photo taken prior to May 1980, Rev. Dr. Harry Krug (left) and Rev. Dr. Elwood Falkenstein (right) hold a sign on the Griswald property along Bell Road in Wakefield Valley, the 40-acre site selected for the future Carroll Lutheran Village.

The concept of Carroll Lutheran Village, however, was developed in the mid-1970s by 21 Lutheran pastors and lay leaders who formed a non-profit corporation to serve older adults of all faiths. This group of visionaries determined that there was a need in the community for faith-based advanced care for aging adults in the community that was not being met elsewhere. They raised funds, purchased 40 acres in 1979 and in 1980 opened eight cottages. The Health Care Center opened in 1981 with skilled nursing care, followed by the first apartment building in 1983. A second apartment building opened in 1988.

Thanks to generous gifts from Village residents, Krug Chapel, the Good Shepherd Way memory care wing and the Diven House assisted living wing opened in 1998. Diven House is named after Evlyn and John Diven, who moved to the Village in 1983. Evlyn’s $1.9 million bequest was designated to establish an assisted living level of care at the Village. The steeple to Krug Chapel, now a community landmark, was given by Mary Ruth Mason in memory of her parents, her sister and her husband. Mrs. Mason enjoyed the steeple until she passed away in September 2013.

After 50 adjoining acres were acquired by Carroll Lutheran Village, an additional 90 apartments and 52 homes were built in 2005 and 2006.

In early 2016 Carroll Lutheran Village expanded its mission into neighboring Howard County with the opening of The Lutheran Village at MILLER’S GRANT, a continuing care retirement community in Ellicott City. A 50-acre parcel along Frederick Road was gifted to with the condition that it be developed into a distinctive retirement community modeled after the success enjoyed at Carroll Lutheran Village.

Carroll Lutheran Village is accredited nationally by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities – Continuing Care Accreditation Commission and is certified by the Maryland Department of Aging. The Health Care Center and Diven House are licensed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The Village is also actively involved in LeadingAge, a national organization focusing on education, advocacy and applied research in the field of aging, and its Maryland affiliate LeadingAge Maryland.

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Carroll Lutheran Village is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 continuing care retirement community located in a serene setting in the rolling hills just outside Westminster, Maryland within easy reach of Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Annapolis and other cultural centers.
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Carroll Lutheran Village was proud to sponsor the 3rd Annual Public Safety Awards this morning in Westminster. It was a privilege to be among so many everyday heroes who were honored for their bravery, dedication, and excellence. Congratulations to this year's honorees and thank you for your service to the community!

Whoot whoot to Vynessa Meixner on the 10-year anniversary today! She's a geriatric nursing assistant in the Health Care Center. This day she was in training to keep up with the latest skills and techniques. Want to work with Vynessa and have plenty of learning and scholarship opportunities? Check out our careers page for current opportunities! https://bit.ly/2VAnfW9

Home. That’s what hundreds of residents call it. They live purposefully, meaningfully, and they age gracefully. Their lives are full and enriched. This is a place of quality. This is a place of choice. This is home. But what if Carroll Lutheran Village didn't exist? Read More